Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Well it looks like lawyers who piss off judges might have more to worry about in the near future if House Bill 140 passes and is signed into law. Contempt and a few days in jail maybe the least of their worries if an outrages or out of control judge is unhappy with their behavior in the courtroom.

Monday, January 30, 2012

“In 1998, after 19 years of service at a Goodyear factory, someone left an anonymous note in my mailbox listing the names and salaries of my male coworkers -- who I learned that day were making at least 20 percent more than I was, even though many had less education, less training, and fewer years on the job.I went to court and won, but in an appeal, the Supreme Court claimed

I should have filed my complaint within six months of the first unfair paycheck. Of course, they didn't say how I was supposed to fight for fair pay when I didn't know I was being paid unfairly.

But that's not why I'm writing you. I'm writing because President Obama heard about my case and went to work fighting for legislation that would prevent his two girls, and an entire generation of young women coming up in the workforce, from ever being disrespected in the same way. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became the first piece of legislation he signed into law as president, exactly three years ago today.

Before he was elected, the President said he'd fight for middle-class people like me, and he kept his promise -- not just on fair pay, but on so many other issues that matter to women.”

Marty Chavez, Candidate for Congressional District One

“The law that was signed three years ago to help close the wage gap that still exists in our country today was a significant victory for American women. But there is much to be done as women still earn just 77% of the wages their male counterparts earn. In Congress, I will continue the fight to ensure that women get equal pay for equal work.”

Friday, January 20, 2012

Senatorial candidates are too busy with the 1% to be bothered with spending much time with the 99%. I understand that campaigns cost a great deal of money these days. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United did the common voting public no favors when it comes to how much time they devote to speaking with the common man or woman.

The fact remains that our two senatorial candidates are not getting out and spending time with the 99%. The voting public feels left out of the process. The candidates are not providing leadership for the rest of the down ballot candidates. It has falling to the congressional candidates to take the lead.

Last evening was a clear example of that when it fell to a congressional candidate rather than a senatorial candidate to remind the other candidates to not unfairly attack their opponents. Ex-major and congressional candidate Marty Chavez gave a wonderful but short speech on the ethics of respecting democrats in all races.

Just when you think that Marty Chavez is out of the race due to personal issues; he makes a grand comeback. I understand that he and his partner have split due to ethical issues. We all feel for Chavez. He clearly had strong feelings for the woman. Chavez will be centering his future attention on his campaign for the rest of the year. Not a bad idea Marty.

Eric Griego, who is a family man with a child, is strongly showing at present in the congressional race. He is siding with the 99% people. Eric is known to be strongly progressive and has serious experience when it comes to educational issues. He was an active union member when he was teaching part-time at a local community college. His major problem may just be that he is too strongly progressive for a district that tends to be middle of the road.

Michelle Lujan Grisham is the only female candidate in the congressional race. She is up against two very strong male personalities. She concentrates on family and health care issues in her campaign. She still has her work cut out for her.

There were many judicial candidates at the county meeting last evening. I managed to start the process of setting up on camera interviews, so we have those interviews to look forward to in March. We have two very strong ethical judges running for the appeal court seat.

Governor Martinez made a huge mistake when her Pac took money from the republican she appointed to that seat. Judge Victor Lopez is a well-known workman’s comp. judge who has run in many races. Judge Monica Zamora is a children’s court judge with many years of experience. She did point out that the appeals court could use a few more females to balance out the numbers. She is a local with a strong family in the local community, which could add to her stability as an appeals court judge.

We have three seats up in the district court. Judge Ben Chavez is running against a republican so he has our support. Judge Zamora is also running for a different division seat on the district court. She has always had our strong support. Judge Alisa Hadfield was appointed to her district court seat last year. She had been doing a superb job. We should be working for and supporting these judges in order to keep our court system fair and just.

All the judicial candidates are working under difficult New Mexico Supreme Court rules that prevent their colleagues from speaking out in support of their campaigns. The new rules have clearly gone too far when it comes to judicial conduct. The only people they benefit are the republicans. Some of the justices on the state supreme court have shown just how out of touch with the public they have become over the years. Perhaps it is time to replace them.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Monday, January 16, 2012

January 20, 2012 Occupy the Courts is having an event at the Federal District Courthouse in the city to protest The Citizens United decision. It has been one year since that decision was made by the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision changed the landscape of politics by giving corporations uncontrolled rights to freedom of speech and uncontrolled rights to the amount of money they could inject into political campaigns.

I have friends that are judges and justices. I do not hold them responsible for the decision made in Citizens United. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with big corporation in ruling that corporations had a right to free speech. I don’t think for one moment that the founding fathers ever envisioned that artificial entities would be given those rights.

Congress should pass a law, which clearly spells out the rights of artificial entities in this country. They should make it clear that constitutional rights only apply to living breathing human beings. After all we don’t give those same rights to cats and dogs in this country.

The voting public needs to make it clear to the one percent that foreign own corporations should not have a voice in our political process. We do not want to see capital going out of this country because the laws are weaken in favor of corporations. We want to see that capital reinvested in jobs here in this country rather than overseas. Until corporations are forced to reinvest their income in redeveloping old industries and creating new one our job market will not expand in the manner, which would create new jobs in this country.

Friday, January 6, 2012

When Governor Martinez ran for her current position she made it clear that she would avoid cuts to education. Nevertheless when times got hard she asked the state’s educational employees to sacrifice by not getting any pay raises over the last three years. These same employees had to pay more into their retirement fund while the state paid less. The retirement fund is mandatory so employees cannot just choose to not contribute to the retirement fund.

Now that the state has money to spend because of oil and gas; the governor does not wish to share the benefit with educational employees. The major reason this state has seen so many retirements as of late is because educational employees do not see their yearly income increasing anytime soon. Many educational employees are asking themselves why put off retiring if they only see a reduction in their yearly pay and there is no benefit from staying on the job?

Private sector jobs allow their employees to opt out of employee retirement plans. Not so with educational employees. Private sector jobs have higher beginning salaries than educational state jobs. Many people have to ask why sacrifice to work for a state that only dumps criticisms on their employee’s jobs performances while not paying for educational conferences.

Educational Administrators, who are highly paid employees, are the ones making all the trips to conferences while front line educational employees stay home and make due with less support materials. Some instructors receive zero dollar budgets for classroom materials. Teachers cannot afford to keep paying for the work supplies to do their jobs correctly.

Legislators and the governor will find out just how upset educational employees are with their behaviors when educational employees go to the polls this year. The one thing everyone knows about educational employees in this state is that they have long memories and vote often.

Monday, January 2, 2012

On Friday, December 30, 2011, the Albuquerque Journal reported that Marty Chavez, our former mayor, is living with a woman who is facing allegations in a hospital fraud scam, which supposedly bilk a Santa Fe hospital out of 3 million dollars.

Chavez claims to have known nothing of the affair until it came out in the newspaper as of late. Still one can say that the first congressional district voters do not want their congressional representative living with someone who is facing federal charges for defrauding a hospital.

Therefore, the question is does he end the relationship or does he end his run for congress.

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"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."

The O'Coilean (O'Collins)

'A great host with whom it is not fortunate to contend, the battle-trooped host of the O'Coileain."Abraham Lincoln

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."From NPR Radio"Rosa sat so Martin could walk.Martin walked so Obama could run.Obama ran so our children can fly!"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new."Unknown"Friendship is loving someone no matter what is in their past. It is accepting the fact that they are human and that they have made their share of mistakes over a life time. Trust is being able to tell your friend the most private secret knowing that they will not judge you. A life is not lived well without that one true and trusted friendship."Mary Harris "Mother" Jones

"My job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"

Albert Einstein

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."Will Rogers"I don't belong to an organized party--I'm a democrat."President John F. Kennedy, Democrat“If by a ‘liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people—their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties—someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a ‘Liberal,’ then I’m proud to say I’m a ‘Liberal.’”Martin Luther King Jr.

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."

Lora O'Brien

"All I can do is share one person's experiences on her own path, not tell you how to walk yours. If a guru is what you are looking for, find another! If I am a teacher, it is because I am already walking the path that you, Dear Reader, may wish to be on. Although each of us must make our own way, I can put up signs at least, and make the way slightly less hazardous for those who wish to walk a similar path."

C. S. Lewis

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."

A Female Democrat

1/1/10 A new year and a number of future elections to cover. The budget will be a major issue this year and we must work hard to protect the core values of our party.